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Why choose Custom Couture Cakes by A Bountiful Harvest? Now that you've found the perfect mate, we can't imagine that you would be happy celebrating your marriage with anything less than an exquisite one of a kind masterpiece that only Custom Couture Cakes by A Bountiful Harvest can create for your special day. Every element of your celebration cake will be customized to your individual needs and specifications - from the design, details, flavors, flowers right down to the finishing touches…it's all about you and your special day! Why Do I Need to Setup An Appointment? At Custom Couture Cakes by A Bountiful Harvest, the most important part of working our magic is for us to understand your wants and wishes; therefore, we ask that you schedule a consultation with ample time (usually 4 - 6 months in advance) to allow for design, scheduling and creation of the perfect cake for your most perfect day. We offer more than just a photo album of pre-designed cakes and limited icing choices. We offer the opportunity for you to express your wants, needs and desires and a world of cake decorating techniques and mediums. We offer you a chance to take time to choose every aspect of your wedding cake carefully; we believe that you will be much happier with the outcome in the long run. Why do I need to know the exact date of the wedding reception before an appointment is scheduled? Custom Couture Cakes by A Bountiful Harvest schedules a limited number of wedding & special event cake orders per week on a first come, first served basis. Because we ship nationwide and hand deliver large special events cakes to areas within a 5 hours delivery zone, Tennessee, in parts of Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Kentucky (please call for exact delivery area details), an appointment is only scheduled when a firm date and reception site has been chosen by the bridal couple and we confirm that your date is available for us to commission your custom cake. What is the fee for your consultation and What should I expect during my consultation? There is a NON-REFUNDABLE $100.00 fee required to schedule your wedding consultation. You consultation fee includes: a 30 minute personal one on one consultation with a cake stylist to discuss and design your cake, and three tasting samples. Sample flavors must be chosen at the time of your consultation booking. When you book your wedding with Custom Couture Cakes by A Bountiful Harvest the $100 consultation fee will be applied to your final cake price if your cake is over $500. However, the $100 it is not refundable in the event you do not book your cake with us and it is not applied towards cakes under $500. Please Note: We are a small but extremely busy shop so our free time is very limited and we must stop creating other customers orders to meet with you; therefore, should you require more time the additional time please be sure to tell us this when booking your consultation. Additional time will be billed at $100.00 per hour or any part thereof. What should I bring to my pre-scheduled consultation? Be sure to bring your planning book, ideas for cake size and styles you like, have your cake budget in mind and be prepared to pay your 50% deposit to book your date. You may also wish to bring any swatches, ribbons, etc. you have collected. If I bring you a photo of a cake I found elsewhere could you duplicate it? Please feel free to bring any photos of the size, style and design of cakes that interest you for inspiration; however, please note that we DO NOT copy or duplicate other decorators work. But will work to design something unique for you and your special event. We put a lot of time and effort into creating our original designs to make your cake unique and special for you only to have many people try to duplicate our exquisite creations with lesser quality ingredients and craftsmanship. Do you offer custom designs or only set styles? We do not offer set designs. All of our cakes are custom designed for each individual customer. However, we do have a variety of display cakes and photos for you to view during your consultation. Why should I have a budget in mind for my wedding cake? When you're planning a wedding, the cost involved can become overwhelming. It is best to have a budget in mind for everything including the wedding cake. Custom wedding cakes are very detailed and very time consuming and the costs can add up when you start adding lots of handmade detailing, ie.,gold painting, handmade/hand-painted gumpaste or fondant flowers, drop lace, custom lace, custom piping and hand-painting, handmade pearls, beading, brooches, cake jewelry, custom monogram letters, etc. The more labor that goes into a cake and the more bling that goes onto cake the more the cake costs. Therefore, if you arrive with at least a flexible budget in mind it can help our staff better understand your needs so we can help you create the perfect cake for your special day to stay within your budget. How do I book my date/cake? To book a Wedding Cake over $500 a 50% non refundable deposit is required at the time of consultation with the contract balance due in full 12 weeks prior to your wedding date. Custom Couture Cakes by A Bountiful Harvest presently accepts cash and credit cards - MasterCard, Visa and American Express. PLEASE NOTE: All cakes priced at $500 & under must be paid in full at time of order to reserve date. Your date becomes reserved only when the "Wedding Cake Contract" is signed & your 50% non-refundable deposit is received. What if I don't have 12 weeks advance notice to book my cake? LAST MINUTE WEDDINGS: On occasion we are able to book a wedding with less then 12 weeks prior to the event date if that date is available or our busy schedule allows us to create your cake. In order to do so your cake MUST BE paid in FULL on the date it is booked regardless of the final cost. Your cake is non-refundable and there will be no changes made to the original design. No Exceptions. DO YOU RENT CAKE STANDS or PLATEAUS? Yes, we have assorted styles and sizes available for rental. Cake stand rental fees are based on your selection and must also be prepaid 12 weeks prior to your event date. DELIVERY & SETUP: We charge $50.00 delivery and setup for all wedding cakes in the city of Chattanooga. We will coordinate the time with you - and schedule to meet you or your wedding coordinator and set up your cake during our normal business hours (Mon - Fri 10 am-6pm & Sat - 10am-2pm). Delivery & setup outside of normal business hours is available in most cases. However, the after hours delivery fee is $100.00. Please inquire in advance if after hours delivery is needed. Out of town delivery is available at the following rates: .65 cents per mile to and from site, plus $50.00 per hour (includes driving time to and from site and setup time). Please Note: Out of Town delivery hourly rate is double during all Holidays and Graduation weeks. CAN I HAVE SOMEONE PICK UP MY CAKE? Picking up your cake is a great way to save money. If you choose to pick up your cake you should make sure that you have a clean, flat surface to set the cake on while driving. Vans, sport utility and any vehicle that the back seat folds in so the air conditioning can make it to the back are the best for traveling. If you are in a car, the floor is generally safer than the seat. Most of our cakes are either too large or irregularly shaped to fit in a cake box so you need to take special care to protect them. If your cake can be boxed we will create a heavy duty box for it and secure the base of the cake in that box. Once you leave our business with the cake it is no longer the responsibility of Couture Cakes by A Bountiful Harvest. Wedding Cake 'Must Asks & Need to Knows' Q) How far in advance do I need to book my date? Any reputable/professional baker is normally 4 - 6 months out. A) We require a minimum of 4-6 months but book up to 24 months in advance. If our schedule allows we sometimes can book an event on shorter notice. Please call 423-876-1922 or 423-342-4171 to check availability. Q) Do you have a licensed commercial facility inspected by the state health inspector? A) Yes, we are licensed by the state of Tennessee and our facility is inspected by the Hamilton County Health Department every 6 months. Q) When was your last inspection and what was your score? A) A) Our last inspection was May 2009 and our health score was 98 with a smiley face. We were docked 1 point because the city inspector who comes to check the grease trap hit the hand sank with his hip and cracked the paint on the wall slightly. Mind you…this is grease trap is a device we do not need but was FORCED to install by the city even though we do NOT use Crisco, grease, etc in our bakery! But hey…we all know you can't fight city hall and win! We apparently also lost 1 point for a tiny…when I say tiny I mean like SMALLER than a thumb print spot of chocolate that was apparently on the lid of one of our huge buckets we keep our chocolate in. It has become apparent that with this new health inspector we will never again get a perfect 100 because she will ALWAYS find something to dock us for. Are we happy about this??? Well NO…however...we have learned to live with it knowing we keep our place as spotless and clean as humanly possible and our customers know it! Q) Why is it important to have a licensed commercial facility that is regularly inspected by the state health inspector? A) There are many reasons - A) It is illegal to run a food business out of your home or any other unlicensed facility. |
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